


Dried up Puddles

by outerglow



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: AU, M/M, alive!Hide, haisehide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-03
Updated: 2015-06-03
Packaged: 2018-04-02 17:00:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4067662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/outerglow/pseuds/outerglow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Haise takes a long walk at night to think about his past, all he can remember is one song no one knows the name of.<br/>He spots a handsome stranger on the bus home, what does this stranger mean to him? Why are the feelings so strong?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dried up Puddles

The light flicker of the street lamp reflects on the wet pavement with light raindrops falling after the storm had calmed. Haise walking aimlessly with both his hands on the back of his head stops in front of a large puddle contemplating whether to jump into it or walk around, he decides to walk around not wanting to get water soaked into his shoes or even his socks. He keeps walking staring down at the ground keeping track of all the puddles he walked past. 

"Imagine if each puddle represented my memories...so temporary soon to be dried up by the sun when morning comes, has all of me dried up..." Haise says to himself tracing the outlines of the puddles with his eyes, each birthday, every friend, the family he once had...all dried up, everything gone but one familiar tune. This familiar hum full of warmth but left a gut wrenching feeling inside of Haise, the first thing he heard when he woke up out of a coma, his own private ghost. He had sung the tune to almost everyone he knows even Special Class Ghoul Investigator Arima, who commented that it was a very cute tune and joked that Haise should write music in his spare time. But the song was not his to claim as his own...

Deep in thought he didn't realise that he had ended up in a far away ward until he saw a full moon in the reflection of a puddle. He looks up and scans the area, there's a haunting silence filling the street. The only source of light was a street lamp next to a bus stop, he decides it would be best to stay near the light and wait for the bus. Unconsciously Haise started to hum again, hum the song that filled him up but made him feel empty at the same time, the song that is his only clue to his past self. Caught in his own humming he didn't realise the bus had pulled up in front of him. 

"AHEM," the bus driver clears his throat just a bit too obnoxiously , "are you getting on or do you just want to stay there singing your song?" 

"Aha, well it’s a good song," Haise scratched the back of his neck nervously laughing and stops when he sees how unimpressed the bus driver really is, "I'm...getting on..." A part of him rather wait for another bus with a different bus driver who didn't stare at him for humming but he thought it would be best to suck it up and not make him even more mad. 

He steps onto the bus and pays for his trip, he looks around the bus for a place to sit. The bus has hardly anyone, a few high schoolers going home from karaoke silently gossiping, an office worker with a store bought bento box, and...a man. The man caught Haise's attention, he was just there sleeping on the bus, his bleached blonde hair messily covers his face a bit and lightly touches his lips, he's wearing a pair of headphones which is being squashed between his face and the bus glass, wouldn't that hurt? Haise snaps out of it when the bus driver makes another loud cough waiting for him to sit down, he slightly jumps and harries to sit down, before he realises it he sat down right next to the sleeping man. _What, what am I doing all these spare spots on the bus and I sat right next to him, what if he wakes up and catches me staring at him, oh god he'll think I'm some huge creep, but what if he doesn't wake up, that would make all of this okay..._

Haise has a mini breakdown in the middle of the bus, why is he so worked up about some bleached blonde haired guy who fell asleep on the bus, if anything that’s irresponsible he's probably missed his stop already. But he just can't stop looking at him, something about him...gives him warmth. Not knowing whether to keep staring or not he just makes quick glances. _Uhhh I want to talk to him I want to hear his voice, why do I feel so happy sitting next to him...He's so...wet?_ He finally takes a long good look at the sleeping beauty. He's drenched head to toe, hair leaving tiny droplets over his face dripping down his slightly freckled nose. _He must have been caught in the storm and have gotten on the bus for shelter he looks so tired the bags under his eyes make it took like he's been traveling for months straight._ Haise takes off his jacket without a seconds thought and wraps it round the sleeping stranger who slightly squirms and digs his head into Haise's jacket. 

Haise can't help but smile at the sleeping stranger who suddenly looked a lot happier after he received the jacket as a blanket. Haise literally has to hold his hand back from stroking his hair, he just wants to be closer to him even though he doesn't know why he feels so safe and warm around him. He is like a book Haise had always wanted to read and longed for without realising til he found them, and he wanted to read all of the book knowing everything about it, like no one else in the world. Being next to him has made Haise feel more natural and at ease since he's woken from a coma, like a missing puzzle piece he found after searching for so long, like the sun emerging from the clouds after a month of rain...like home. He starts to tear up wanting to talk to the human embodiment of the sun sitting right next to him, suddenly the stranger starts to say something. _Is he talking in his sleep? I can't quite make it ou- what is this-_ Haise's mind goes blank and tears start to stream out uncontrollably as the stranger starts to hum an all but too familiar tune. 

Haise starts crying so hard he starts to hiccup, he doesn't understand a thing that's going on everything just hurts inside of him he hears a scream. He curls up into a ball and bites his knee to calm himself down. Nothing is working, he forgets how to breath everything is just too confusing all at once these flashes of a familiar warm smile flash through his head. He wants to get off the bus the stands up to run to the front but before he can he feels a weight on his hand. The stranger is awake and holding onto his hand so tightly like his life was slipping away from him. Haise stares deep into his deep chestnut coloured eyes which shined even in the dead of the night. 

"P-please, don't leave me" the stranger said voice cracking as his eyes start to swell up with tears. 

Haise forgot how to talk his tears have stopped and he holds the strangers hand back, "o-okay," he crocks and clasps his other hand over his mouth astonished at how croaky his own voice was. 

They both sit there in silence silently sniffing and calming down. Haise looks over to the stranger who smiles down at his coat warmly and hugs it against himself. Haise wants to ask about the song...but he's afraid of what the answer could be. 

"Thanks for the jacket it feels great." The stranger smiles at Haise so bright he was almost blinded 

"No problem I just thought it suited you better than me." Haise jokes around almost flirting with this stranger whom he does not even know the name of. 

"Really because with a face as good as yours you'd suit anything perfectly," The stranger grins at hime while Haise sits there slightly blushed with this mouth wide open, "haha anyway, thank you for that, really I appreciate it a lot, I've been away for a couple years and just my luck I got lost on my first day back while I was looking for...something..." 

Haise is a bit puzzled at the way the stranger had finished his sentence, but he just woke up maybe he's still snapping back into it. "Well if you need any help I can try, I mean I'm not good at finding stuff myself but I work for the CCG I have connections," He smiles brightly back at the stranger expecting a returning smile or something similar but the stranger just stares back with horror reflecting in his eyes. 

"The CCG huh...." His voice cracks again worrying Haise that he'll cry again but instead of crying he shakes the back of his head with his hand and slightly giggles, "wow they have hired some interesting people while I've been away, Hideyoshi Nagachika, you can call me Hide, I have been on leave for a couple years but I'm returning to the CCG." He holds out his other hand that’s not holding Haise's hand. 

Haise can't help but giggle and shake his other hand with this they're holding both hands, it looks slightly ridiculous but he was happy "Haise Sasaki, Rank 1 Ghoul Investigator, you can just call me Haise though, Hide." 

"Haise....Haise," Hide practices saying his name a couple times, like he was tasting a new food for the first time and had to become accustomed to the taste. 

The two make small talk until they realised how late it was and the Bus had stopped completely, empty of all other passengers and the angry bus driver kicking them out. They both laugh after they're out of the bus drivers sight thinking how two grown men can still be scolded at like children. Still holding hands they walk and talk for hours until the sun rises from the horizon reflecting on the puddles and droplets of rain on Hide's headphones. Still holding hands they walk up a hill and watch the sunrise together. Haise grips onto Hide's hand tighter and tries not to shake. 

"...Hey I have something to ask you..." He bites his lip trying to sound strong, "the song...how did you know it?" 

"Song?" Hide asks with a puzzled look. 

"Y'know...that song you were humming on the bus..." Haise grows more and more quiet, he should have just kept his mouth shut. 

"Oh..." Hide looks down at the ground avoiding Haise's eyes, "it’s a song I learnt in primary school, it's kinda stuck with me hahaha." Hide scratches the back of his head and his laughter trails off to silence.

"I see..." Haise says but not fully convinced, "what do you say we go grab some coffee, I know a good place, and we have to be at work soon."   
"I'd love to but I should go home and shower don't want to smell up the building on my first day back," Hide kids around but suddenly lets go of Haise's hand and start walking in the opposite direction, "I'll take you up for that coffee soon." 

Before Haise could reply Hide left leaving him staring at his hand, tears start flowing out of his eyes and he clenches his fist, "Hide, just who are you really...." He starts to walk home feeling something he has never felt before, he felt both refresh and heavy, still utterly confused with what had just happened to him. He opens the door to his home and slumps onto his couch, "Maybe not all the puddles have dried up huh."

Hide slowly makes his wake to his home kicking every rock on the ground he can see until he stops at a puddle and stares at his reflection. The calm of the puddle is disturbed by droplets of tears coming from Hide. He squats and nuzzles his head into his knees, " I'm so sorry Kaneki... I lied I li-" his words are cut off from him choking on his own tears. Hide staggers the way home placing one hand on his shoulder where an all too familiar scar is and the other wiping his never ending tears. He opens the door to his home throwing his belongings anywhere and heads to the shower to try and calm down. Hide lies in the shower still clothed sitting in the corner digging his eyes into his hands trying desperately to stop crying inhaling sharply taking deep long breaths. Hours have passed, Hide's hand still warm from Haise, the traces his entire face with the hand Haise held, "hah...that song we made 10 years ago...who would have thought you'd still remember it."

**Author's Note:**

> I hoped you liked my fanfic I kind wrote it on a whim after I got an idea at work and it kept evolving as a was writing... I didn't know how to end it happy so ending it is.


End file.
